When I started focusing on eating more locally and sustainably, I had to give up buying the bags of big-name frozen chicken breasts that had previously been a staple in my kitchen. I knew that they came from factory farms, which I didn’t want to support. Finding local and humanely-raised poultry wasn’t difficult; there were plenty of options at the Farmers’ Market {including heritage breeds of chickens}. In the past year, I’ve even been able to find locally-raised chickens at Wegman’s for a reasonable price.
No, finding the chicken I felt good about eating wasn’t the hard part. Swallowing the significantly higher price was the challenge. The key, I discovered, was to buy whole chickens instead of parts.
Raw meat freaked me out, and I would often make Dan prepare the raw meat or slide it straight from the package to the pan. I couldn’t bring myself to break down the whole chickens myself, so I started out by roasting the entire thing, which allowed me to minimize my raw meat handling.
Finally, last week I decided I was ready. Ready to break down the chicken myself before cooking it. Yes, it took me nearly a year to get there. After all, roasted chicken is easy and delicious, and I didn’t have to deal with my squeamishness.
But really, it isn’t that bad. It took awhile, but I think I’m over my raw meat fears for good. At least when it comes to poultry, that is.
Chicken Peperonata
For this dish, I used Garlic Gold’s new Herbs de Provence nuggets. However, you could also use minced garlic and regular Herbs de Provence in its place. Serve this entree with crusty bread or a side of rice.
Serves 2-4
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 whole chicken (3 pounds), skin-on and broken down into 5 or 6 pieces
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon Garlic Gold Herbs de Provence nuggets (or 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence), plus more for sprinkling
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the peppers and onions and cook, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes, until the onions begin to soften and brown. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes to caramelize the peppers and onions.
Remove the peppers and onions from the Dutch oven and season bring the heat back to medium. Add the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until the skin is browned.
Return the peppers and onions to the Dutch oven along with the stock and Garlic Gold nuggets (or 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence). Cover and bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 170F.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
*Disclaimer: I am an employee of Garlic Gold, and this product was sent to me by the company. However, the opinions contained in this post and this blog are entirely my own.*
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I made your crockpot spicy corn chowder at the weekend. What a great idea as I managed to come down with a chesty cough and soup was the order of the day!
It is really delicious, thanks for sharing the recipe!
Annette
PS I have garlic gold in the cupboard that I had mailed over with iHerb. That stuff is addictive!
Annette (UK) recently posted..Monday Blues
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, but I hope you’re feeling better!
I honestly have never hear of this before! Yum! Looks great though
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes recently posted..Simply Soupy Monday…the second
I do the same thing with fish! I don’t eat fish, I have yet to bring myself to try it, but my boyfriend eats salmon all the time. When I make it for him, I literally use a fork and dump it into a pan from the packaging and throw it in the oven to just bake it. I am so glad to see I’m not the only one that gets freaked out by food. I’m definitely not ready to take the next step to eat it, or even touch it with my fingers! eek, scales! :-\
Nancy @ Beyoutiful Fitstyle recently posted..Domestify
I may have gotten over my raw meat fears, but I’m still working on the fish one! You aren’t alone in that!